Second wind: A Miraculous Story
by Nishen Samuel
Summary: Miracle queen takes control of Hawkmoth. Can Mayura and Ladybug find common ground to defeat her? Will the ally Ladybug brought back to life prove to be a blessing, or a curse?


This story was written for the Miraculous Ladybug Holidays Fanfiction Exchange.

A/N In the end.

Edit: Finally figured out how to add the horizontal line. Now the story should be more understandable.

Enjoy!

**-Prologue-**

* * *

**Part 1: The fall of Queen Bee**

* * *

_"Experiencing loss is a part of life... Some people lose their first love, some lose the harmony in their relationship..."_

Chloe Bourgeois scanned the skyline intently for the telltale red blur.

"Nothing but pigeons!" She muttered under her breath.

She stared at the cityscape for a while. Some distant honking and the wail of sirens meant those incompetent cops were trying to detain the Akuma.

"Huh! You'd think they'd learn something after getting tossed around town half a dozen times! They can handles purse-snatchers and jaywalkers, but we super heroes are supposed to handle Akumas."

She idly watched as an empty police car was sent flying across a street, and faintly heard a cackling remark linking law, order and utter ridiculousness.

She leaned against the edge and let loose another sigh.

She had to admit, she was feeling quite salty about what happened. Initially it seemed like the party was going to be fine. Both her mommy and daddy were organizing it excitedly.

But when something can go wrong, it always goes wrong.

She closed her eyes and replayed it in her mind.

"But Audrey dear, I told you that last night! The Lé blanc was always our selection for ceremonies. They do the most wonderful décor of all of Paris! And they're already here!"

"Ridiculous! Utterly ridiculous! You told me you hired our favorite organizers for this!"

"But they _are_ our favorite organizers! They always were!"

"That was _years _ago! When I moved to New York, I met so many organizers with exquisite taste. And you settled for Lé blanc? How pathetic!"

"I'm sorry dear, but they will do a marvelous job! I'll personally take care of it. Okay?"

"I've seen you in action as the mayor of Paris André, and I can say that I'm _really _convinced. So utterly convinced! Ugh! You run a city without even knowing how to prepare a little party!"

"My dear! But this no 'little party', this is our Anniversary! You surely know that I'm giving everything I have for this, right sweetheart?"

"I'm tired of this André, I can't believe how you can ruin such a simple thing! Go ahead, let _Lé blanc _work its cheap magic. Ugh! I'm going to my suite."

Chloe let the mental image of her mother storming away slowly fade into black and opened her eyes.

She had never seen her father so upset before that.

She knew she was asking a lot when she hoped the two of them would get along for the duration of the party. Today seemed to be a really bad day for her. The first thing in the morning was her parents' quarrel, then hours later when her Adrikins walked in she thought it was going to get better. Then that short-haired girl had emerged right behind him, sporting that stupid death glare, forcing Chloe to just settle for a handshake, instead of the hug she wanted. Then she found Fang with Mr. Cuddly in his mouth, and a flustered Jagged swearing up and down that he wasn't going to let fang eat it, that he was just playing with it. And when she asked XY for an autograph, he said "Give me a second, I'm in a call." And made her wait a whole minute and sixteen seconds before finally signing a poster for her. Then her parents broke into another argument in front of everyone, and she was sure she saw that girl Dupain-cheng somewhere. Of the people to see her humiliated firsthand...

And then there was the Akuma.

She slammed her hand down angrily.

_Is one perfect day too much to ask?_

Now Ladybug was being late again.

OH WAIT!

She saw a figure in red launching herself in the air to her right. Ladybug leaped off a statue, threw her yo-yo and reeled herself forward. Chloe cupped her hands in front of her mouth.

"Yoo-hoo! Bring me my miraculous, ladybug! I've been waiting for you!"

Ladybug continued forward, and Chloe frowned at her.

"Ugh, did she even hear me? Why is everyone being so rude today?!"

She stood there for some more time and was seriously considering heading down when she heard something and looked up. Her face lit up when she saw Ladybug, accompanied by another miraculous holder.

The more the merrier, as long as she was given her miraculous to save her parents like a hero.

But instead of approaching her, both of the super heroes leaped off without giving as much as a glance at her direction. She felt disbelief, and then anger.

"What about _me?_ You were supposed to give _me _my miraculous! This is ridiculous! Utterly ridiculous! Those are _my _parents you know! So _I _should be the one to save them!"

Her voice didn't seem to reach Ladybug at all.

She watched as the Akuma rise above the buildings and start blasting at the incompetent duo, now joined by Cat Noir.

"Those are literally my parents, and they _still _don't think I'd be someone they should pick?!" That thought angered her beyond enraged.

"RRRAGH–" She yanked her signal and toppled it over the rail. She watched it tumble and break apart. Still not feeling any better, she rested her head on the rail, wanting to cry.

"..Chloe Bourgeois!"

She whipped around with her heart racing like crazy. That voice was unmistakable. It had haunted far too many of her dreams for her to forget it.

_Hawkmoth._

The super-villain continued to speak in his gravelly voice.

"Rejections hurt. Your talents deserved to be recognized. Ladybug and Cat Noir's reign has gone on long enough. It's time for Paris to have a new queen. And the queen on my chessboard is _you..."_

_What the..._

_How DARE him!_

"You've Akumatized my parents! If I had my miraculous I'd—"

She froze as his hand came up. She was vulnerable. He knew she was on Ladybug's team. She was sure he was here to covertly eliminate his enemies, starting with her. She was _very _aware of the height she was in. And she had no miraculous to protect her from a fall like that.

She never felt more helpless and terrified.

"You're right."

_Oh no..._

Wait _what?_

"But I did it for one reason only."

She flinched as he stepped towards her.

"So you would _finally_ realize that Ladybug would never give you the bee miraculous again."

_That stung..._

"I, however, always keep my promises."

With that, he produced a _very _recognizable object from his palm.

"This isn't real! How do you have it?"

He simply said,

"Try it, and see for yourself."

Chloe started to believe that he actually wasn't lying. What would he accomplish giving her a piece of fake jewelry? He probably snatched it from Ladybug, and instead of keeping it for himself, here he is, handing it over to her. Has he actually lost his mind?

She could do what all the heroes failed to do. She could transform, summon her venom and stop him in his tracks. She could snatch that brooch off of his immobile body, and show Ladybug that she is a _true superheroine!_

_Huh! All you lame heroes run around Paris like headless chickens, when I'm going to be the one to unmask Hawkmoth himself! Talk about incompetence._

She was already formulating her plan when one thought brought all of it to a screeching halt.

_Then what?_

_Hawkmoth is defeated. Yay!_

_But then what?_

"Good work Chloe. Now Paris is safe. Now I need that miraculous back. Your duty is done..."

A compliment, a pat in the back, and back to being plain old Chloe Bourgeois. That looked like the most probable outcome to her.

_What can't you trust me Ladybug?! Why can't you at least let me save my parents! You couldn't give me the bee miraculous even though I'm on your side, and Hawkmoth himself brings it to me!_

Hawkmoth's voice brought her out of her trance.

"You're Ladybug's greatest fan. You've helped her, you've trusted her... And what has she done in return?" Hawkmoth inquired icily.

_Good point, but what makes him think that the moment I transform, I wouldn't use my venom against him? He doesn't seem to have that peacock lady anywhere near. He'd be powerless to stop me. All his plans would be ruined because he trus—_

Chloe's eyes widened with realization.

_He... Trusts me?_

_A super-villain can trust me but Ladybug can't?_

She felt a burning sense of anger rise within her.

_If that's how it is..._

Meanwhile, Hawkmoth was studying his prey intently. He knew he was taking a risk, and he was aware of how easily she can stop him should she manage to use her venom against him. Mayura was well hidden but was at hand's reach. But even then if the brat works quickly enough, she could cause serious complications.

He studied her face, the hand behind him gripping his cane firmly. There would be no room for surprise attacks.

Not for Chloe Bourgeois anyway.

But it looked like there would be no need for worrying, as it seemed. He watched in satisfaction as his words sank in, and her face turned into a mask of rage.

_"NOTHING!_ She couldn't care less about me! I'm done with her! She's irrelevant. Utterly, irrelevant!"

She reached for the miraculous but stopped just shy of reaching it. "I want you to de-akumatize my parents first!"

_Oh... That was the plan all along Miss Chloe..._

"Whatever you say, my queen..."

* * *

**Part 2: All hail the Miracle queen!**

* * *

_Where did it go wrong..?_

_Why today have to be such torture?_

"I messed up..." Ladybug whispered.

Swimming in the depth of the Seine River always seemed to happen when things got messed up. Last time she was under here, she was half drowning thanks to reverser christening her as "Lady klutz".

At least then she had Cat Noir to drag her to safety. That would most likely not happen now. Not if the wasps got to him first.

She recognized the cursed creatures as soon as she saw them. There was only one person who could've reprised the role of Queen wasp.

_Chloe Bourgeois._

_This shows that I was right! Looks like Hawkmoth had her as his trump card. He knew who she was, where she lived... He could've had her under surveillance! That is why even visiting her as Ladybug would've been dangerous. Having her in a fight means Hawkmoth can easily know where to target. He did that on Heroes day._

Ladybug's mouth pressed into a firm line.

_I did the right thing._

_Right..?_

She unhooked her yo-yo and let it dial her partner.

"...Cat got your tongue? Leave a message!"

_Not good._

"Cat Noir, Chloe's akumatized into Queen wasp again, get underwater now! I'm heading towards the Eiffel tower using the Seine. That's where usually Hawkmoth loves to display his grand plans. Meet you there."

She paused for a second.

"And be safe kitty. Please."

She put back her yo-yo and started swimming. Her mind was a jumbled mess of emotions.

"..Orange and Peppermint, a perfect pairing that's always a success. Nothing can turn it into a mess! And for you two, blackberry and Peppermint, an explosive mix, that's a fact. But often time, it's the opposites that attract..."

"You pick Marinette, we trust you..."

_I know you do... Adrien._

She bit down on her lip.

She knew she couldn't hold onto him forever. But she never found the courage to confess herself either.

_Oh, wait._

She _did_ honestly try, didn't she? She did confess to him, which Adrien's cousin Felix had so kind-heartedly erased for her. She had to erase the sign on the beret because somehow it ended up in Cat Noir figuring out her identity, and destroying the world. She shuddered at the memory. She also sent Adrien a Valentine, and promptly forgot to sign it. She had the perfect opportunity to admit her feelings for him at the Grévin's wax museum but chickened out in the _lamest_ way possible.

_It IS my fault, and it isn't. If I didn't screw it up, fate herself would screw it for me._

Looking back at her actions, she wondered why she behaved the way she did. It didn't get her anywhere. Even when Adrien asked himself after the troublemaker incident, she vehemently denied any feelings for him.

"..Are you lying?"

Yes. Yes, I was...

"NO! I'm SO not into you. Sure, I'm _interested_ in you, but, uh, not in that way. Heh."

_Can I really blame him for not noticing?_

Strangely enough, she didn't feel any bitterness towards Kagami either. She expected herself to bodily shove anyone who would dare try and take advantage of Adrien. But Kagami didn't belong in that category. Lila did, and maybe Chloe, but not Kagami.

_She actually gave me the lead. She was ready to step down if I ever found the guts to tell Adrien. It's not her fault I'm a complete failure. But to think that I'm no longer able to love him... To think that I lost him..._

She felt a lump rising in her throat, and forced herself to move faster.

_There's no point in crying, Marinette. Adrien deserves someone to lift his spirits. You saw how happy they were together. Be happy for Adrien. He finally will have someone to go out with, spend some time with someone else than his bodyguard for once._

_You and Kagami are so alike, Adrien. You two would make a perfect couple. She'll make you laugh, she'll hold you up, she'll be your happiness, and she'll be the one you love..._

_It's just... It wouldn't be..._

_Me..._

A sob escaped her without her even knowing, and she fought back as hard as she could to stop the next one.

_If I start to cry now, I'll never be able to stop. Focus ladybug, breathe... Even though I'm underwater. Why am I underwater?_

_Chloe. Akuma._

_Oh..._

Her heart sank to the pit of her stomach.

_Master Fu..._

A new wave of anxiety washed over her already drowned self.

"You look lonely, perhaps you should visit your friend down there."

"It's none of your concern, old man. You wouldn't be running your mouth when you lose that shelter of yours."

"Oh, I still have plenty left."

Mayura glanced in his direction. "Then it's good. We don't want it to be too soon, right?"

Through the green tint of his shelter, Master Fu, now empowered as the Jade turtle, could see Mayura's focus go back to Hawkmoth.

_Fate is a fickle thing... It makes the most impossible odds happen, or the most assured things fail. Is it fate that is keeping me here? The peacock holder, Mayura, seem to only focus on Hawkmoth. Even in my current condition, I can still potentially escape her. Is it fate that tells me to wait here, even when I'm being held as a hostage?_

_I will never understand this strange magic. But I trust it. It led me to the best Ladybug and Cat Noir that have ever graced this world. It led me to place my trust in a pair of young hearts, instead of letting me find two adults as I intended. To anyone, including me, my actions seem to be devoid of meaning. But it brought us all to our intended places, to fulfill an unknown destiny._

_And I will play my part. _He thought as he settled into a meditating pose.

Then he heard a loud gasp.

"..You were once Ladybug and Cat Noir's minions, but from now on, you will be Miracle queen's royal guards!"

The enslaved miraculous holders simply bowed at her.

"Ladybug, Cat Noir, I'm gonna use your own weapons to defeat you. You'll so regret not choosing me."

_Indeed they will my queen... _Hawkmoth mused.

To say he was happy was a gross understatement. Hawkmoth had never felt this much exhilaration.

Rena Rouge, Pegasus, Viperion and King Monkey all had their identities revealed. He recognized Alya Césaire, who ran the Ladyblog, instantly. Others he did not, but Chloe seemed to recognize all of them, implying they were personal acquaintances. From the two without a miraculous, He didn't need any introduction for the daughter of Mrs. Tsurugi. He didn't remember the other young man's name, but he recognized him to be a friend of Adrien. All of them were former Akumas too.

He assumed that the brown-skinned kid probably was the hero Carapace, whose turtle miraculous was currently powering the decrepit guardian. And the only other miraculous was the dragon, and he knew that it was Kagami who wore it.

_You're already good as lost, Ladybug and Cat Noir. I literally have all but three Miraculous with me. Let's see how you get away from this. Ahh... My triumph is inevitable!_

He surveyed the area with pride. This was so much more to his liking than Villains' day.

Chloe was enjoying herself very much, too. She always knew she was a queen, and now all of Paris obeyed her word. She was grateful Ladybug never gave her the bee miraculous. She didn't want to trade the power she was commanding for anything else.

_You may have terrible taste in fashion Hawkmoth, but I wholeheartedly agree with your selection of royalty._

"It seems most of our plan has been achieved, Miracle queen. I need to attain the miraculous of the turtle from the guardian, and maybe pry a fun secret or two from him. With the team you're commanding, you should have no problem crushing Ladybug and Cat Noir. I will be up over there, supervising."

_Nah... There's no need for that._

"Hawkmoth! I have a secret you might like to know..."

A tangible interest came over his face. "Go ahead."

"You didn't think your plan through."

Hawkmoth spent a second too late processing it.

Hundreds of wasps rushed down on him in an instant. His fingers were too slow for him to complete a snap to release the Akuma, and with a sharp sting, his world dissolved into a haze.

"You see Hawkmoth, in this world, there are those who work and those who shine. Did you honestly believe that I would be stupid enough to believe you'd let me be queen bee any longer than you need to defeat ladybug? Ahahaha! Who was going to stop you from simply taking my miraculous after you've caught them both? I'm the queen in your chessboard? That's sweet, but it means I was just a piece of your big grand plan! Huh! You never trusted me, your plan was to use me like a _pawn_! _You_ knowing my identity and targeting me personally was the whole reason I couldn't be queen bee! You set me up from the beginning, didn't you? Well, guess what, I was just playing along. The only advantage you had is that you had the miracle box, and you gave that to me on a silver platter. Oh puh-lease! I've seen Dupain-Cheng do smarter things than that. How stupid can a grown man get?"

Hawkmoth stared at her with sightless yellow eyes, firmly under her spell.

"You are under my command now. All of Paris is now under the regime of Miracle queen! There are no super heroes or super-villains. It's just me, and my loyal subordinates!

Prologue Part 3: Reality is often... Disappointing

Living a nightmare was the closest allegory to describe what Mayura was witnessing.

They were so close to achieving their plans. Every nut and bolt was in place, every cog turning without a hitch. Gabriel's trump was Chloe Bourgeois. Now it seemed like he was dealt a very bad hand.

"You will pay for this, Miss Bourgeois!" Mayura spat vehemently. She was weakened, and dealing with Chloe one-on-one would be disastrous, and she was aware of it.

A very perplexed Master Fu watched as Mayura leaped swiftly out of sight, got up and rushed to see where she went. He couldn't see her anywhere.

"Quite the escape artist." He mumbled. "But what happened her to resort to that?"

Still maintaining his shelter, he went to Mayura's vantage point, curious to get some answers.

Chloe was circling Hawkmoth like a shark.

"We're going to play a game, Hawkmoth. I am going to ask, and you're going to tell me everything I want to know. So simple! Ready?"

"Of course, my queen."

"Fantastic! Now first things first. Why did you need Ladybug and Cat Noir's miraculous so badly? What's so special about them?"

"Those two are more powerful than the other miraculous. They contain the power to create and destroy. But if they were to be merged together, its combined power will grant the user a wish that can affect reality itself. _Anything_ becomes possible."

"Oh wow... Now that's something... But _wait, then why_ didn't Ladybug and Cat Noir use it to defeat you?"

"They think that using it can result in something terrible. They're afraid that there's a price to pay it."

"Well, _is there?"_

Hawkmoth took more time than usual to answer it.

"The miraculous were forged with benevolent intentions in mind. I don't believe they would incorporate such cruel implications to its magic."

"Hmm... Anything I want... I already control all of Paris... So why not extend my helping hand to the whole world? There would be no world problem that this wish wouldn't solve. I can single-handedly be the most awesome queen in all of History!"

_Finally, I'll prove all of them just how important I am!_

"I suggest we interrogate the guardian for more information, my queen. His input may be valuable. Mayura is guarding him."

"Mayura is here_ too? _Where is she? Show me!"

"She is... _Was_ over there." Hawkmoth replied, pointing straight at Master Fu. "But it seems like she escaped, leaving the guardian unattended."

"Kim! Get over there and capture him for me. I'll need his _Mastery_ over the Miraculous."

"On it my queen!"

Kim leaped off, and without missing a beat, yelled "Uproar" to summon his power and grabbed the squeaky toy in midair. Master Fu shook his head.

"Ooh boy. I'm too old to play with that." He Sighed, as he watched the eager young hero clambering up animatedly like the simian he was.

"Hmm... That takes care of the tortoise." Chloe muttered. _But I have no idea where Mayura is. And Ladybug will be here soon. Think Chloe! Think!_

_Bingo!_

"Hawkmoth, I need an Akuma. Get me one! Now!"

He flicked the top dome of his cane, making it emanate a weird _clang. _"Who do you wish me to Akumatize my queen?"

Chloe pondered at her pool of candidates. Rena Rouge, Pegasus, and Viperion.

"I sense Ladybug and Cat Noir's presence, my queen. We should hur—"

She pointed her finger.

"That's the one."

"As you wish my queen."

* * *

_Please be okay Master. I don't know if I can take any more of this... I don't know what to do if something—_

Ladybug tensed abruptly as she spotted movement ahead of her. She was about to reach for her yo-yo when she recognized the lithe form of her partner, similarly aqua powered as herself. Her kitty called out.

"Ladybug!"

"Cat Noir!"

He swam closer. "There's something wrong! What did Fu say to when you gave him back the dragon miraculous? "

A wave of guilt ran through her.

"I... I wasn't able to give it back."

Clearly Cat Noir wasn't expecting that answer.

_"What?!"_

"Master Fu has disappeared. I'm worried something's happened to him."

Cat Noir quickly extended his baton and scanned the surface.

"I can't see Master Fu anywhere, but they do have the miracle box. It's a catastrophe! And I just happened to be an _expert_ in cat things." He said playfully, hoping not to let her see how nervous he was. He didn't want to agitate the already crumbled girl.

"It's... It's my fault. I didn't transform back before I went to find him."

"What?"

"I was... Confused_—_I'm _sorry_! I'm such a failure."

He could see that she was starting to cave in under the pressure.

_Not happening on my watch!_

He swam closer and placed his hand on her shoulder in a reassuring gesture.

"Hey, the important thing is to find Master Fu and get the miracle box back, and we'll need a focused Ladybug for that. Forget what happened, okay..?"

Ladybug looked at his chartreuse eyes and felt herself melting inside. She pulled him into a hug. "Thanks, cat. You're always here for me."

Feeling relieved, he returned the gesture. "Always, little bug."

They floated in place, silently drawing strength from each other.

Cat Noir felt Ladybug start to pull away and let her go with a smile. She returned it, looking more like herself again. His smile broke into a toothy grin as he watched her slip into her detective mode, firing off her rapidly concocted plans.

"Ok, first, we need to free our friends from Miracle queen. Then we can defeat Queen wasp and Hawkmoth. But first, we gotta neutralize those wasps to get out of the water. If we get stung, it's all over!"

He felt immensely confident in seeing his ladybug bounce back to her cheerful persona. This is the girl who could defeat a villain with just a fork.

"Sounds easy when you say it." Cat noir quipped back, cheekily.

"Yes! We're gonna make it easier." She replied while donning the dragon miraculous. A slightly queasy Longg materialized in front of her. Cat Noir realized her line of reasoning.

"No! It's too dangerous. Too many powers at the same time!" The concern in Cat Noir's voice was apparent.

"We don't have a choice." She replied, feeding a macaroon to the Kwami, who gulped it down.

"I'm ready to fight, Ladybug!" He assured. Ladybug nodded at Longg and glanced at Cat Noir, who resented and gave her a nod of his own. "Let's do this Ladybug."

Both of them leaped out with a loud splash. They both called off their aqua powers.

"Spots off!"

"Claws in!"

"Tikki, Longg, unify!"

Ladybug felt the dragon miraculous merging with her own, sending a pulse of cascading energy down her body. She felt her mind becoming clearer and battle-ready, as the dragon inside her uncoiled and wanted to roar.

She took out her trusty yo-yo and started spinning it, calling out "water dragon!" as she descended down.

She landed and expanded the bubble of liquid, knocking over Chloe thanks to the wasp repelling nature of water. She got back up and clawed at it.

"Ladybug!"

"It'll be _Dragon bug _to you, Chloe." She drawled. She noticed that Chloe looked slightly different than her Queen wasp form.

Fuming, Chloe barked at others. "What are you waiting for? Go get them!"

All four other miraculous holders summoned their special powers simultaneously.

"Mirage!"

"Second chance!"

"Voyage!"

"Uproar!"

Shaking the apprehension, Ladybug called out her partner. "Viperion is by far the most dangerous, you focus on him." She gripped the hilt of her sword tighter. "Be careful cat."

Cat Noir donned his battle face.

"Got it. CATACLYSM!"

He rushed towards Viperion, ignoring how his sightless eyes made him a bit uneasy. When he got close enough, he leaped off, aiming a kick at his torso.

Viperion responded at the last second by pushing his attack down, to which Cat threw a punch. He dodged it too, caught him by the wrist, and spun him around and away.

The leather-clad hero quickly regained his composure and assessed the threat. Having already used the snake miraculous, he knew Viperion was dodging him by memory. Which means he had used his second chance and already had his moved mapped out to an unknown degree. Not good for him.

Cat Noir rushed again, feigning a punch but resorting to a kick instead. Viperion nimbly sidestepped to his left while bending, letting the kick fly above his head. Instead of letting his leg go around, Cat Noir cocked it in and thrust it out heel first, hoping to catch him off-guard. He blocked it with both his hands and sprung away.

"Hey, Viperion! You seem a little defensive today." Cat Noir quipped, trying to find an opening. "Long day?"

Viperion stayed silent.

"So how many times did you bailout?"

Without waiting for a reply, he dashed forward, saw Viperion bracing for the attack, and instead of pressing the offense, he whipped his baton out and planted it on the ground, extending it. The sudden move sprung him upwards, confusing Viperion. Cat Noir spun around mid-leap, and swiped his baton hard, catching the snake miraculous holder across the torso.

"Gotcha! No time-outs out this time!"

Meanwhile, Ladybug was dancing around the courtyard as fast as her muscles could flex. Playing with three miraculous holders was starting to make her feel tired.

"hWhoA!" She yelped as she narrowly avoided getting whacked in the head by Pegasus's horseshoe. She threw her yo-yo sideways to parry a blow from King monkey and slammed it back forward to deflect Rena's flute. Pegasus caught his horseshoe, and threw it again, mimicking the trajectory of a boomerang. Ladybug jerked her head back, letting it miss by less than an inch from her nose, throw her yo-yo like a pitcher and wrapped it around him. Yanking hard, she reeled him towards her, grabbed his glasses, and kicked off of his chest. Pegasus stumbled backward and fell, reverting back to Max Kante.

"Huh... Ladybug?"

Hearing Max's voice, she quickly deflected Rena's thrown flute again, cut through two of her illusions, and stood in front of max, her yo-yo spinning rapidly in defense, and her face scrunched in utter confusion.

"Max? Are you actually there?"

He scratched his head before answering. "One hundred percent positive. I appear have been put under some form of mind control, but I affirm that I'm free of it now."

Glancing back at him, she could see his eyes were indeed normal, minus his trademark square rimmed glasses. Besides his lingo was not easy to replicate.

"Good! I'll need your help. Here!" She tossed the horse miraculous back at him. "Chloe is Akumatized into Queen wasp. The Akuma must be in her spinning top. Give me a second to come up with a plan."

"Affirmative Ladybug. Kaalki, full gallop!"

After seeing that he caught Viperion off guard, Cat Noir was feeling better odds at fighting. His attacks were proving to be much more effective.

Evading Viperion's thrown lyre, he hurled his baton straight at him, not giving him enough time to even think of dodging. It impacted with his shoulder, making him grunt and stumble backward. Before he could regain his balance, Cat Noir pounced on him, and in one swift motion pinned him down and took his bracelet off. Under him, Viperion reverted to Luka. He rolled off and was about to put it on when he heard Ladybug call him.

"Cat Noir. Pegasus is bringing Queen wasp in! Use your cataclysm on her spinning top!"

Indeed, even as she spoke, Pegasus jumped into a portal in the ground, rematerialized just behind Chloe who let out a startled yelp, and yanked her in with him. She reappeared inside of the bubble, and adapting swiftly, Cat Noir flung himself at her, grabbed the spinning top with the still active cataclysm, and let the powdered black remains fall. He stepped back as the Akuma flitted away, letting Ladybug do her thing. Miracle queen turned back into Queen Bee, and the wasps disappeared. Whistling a song, he walked back to where Luka was sitting and staring at the ground with an unfocused look. He bent to pick up his baton and froze in place.

His cataclysm,

It was still _ACTIVE!_

_"But I used it on..."_

Thinking rapidly, he put on the snake miraculous on his wrist.

Nothing. No surge of power. No Kwami appeared.

Terror gripped his veins as his blood froze in them.

* * *

**Part 4: The student is the student no more...**

* * *

_Whoa... Finally! Let's get this nasty butterfly._

Remembering that she was still merged with the dragon miraculous, she called them to divide, so she can free Ladybug to purify the Akuma.

"Longg, Tikki, divide—"

"LADYBUG! _WAIT!"_

In less than a second, all hell broke loose.

No longer powered by the dragon miraculous, the protective bubble popped, and the sky darkened abruptly as swarms of wasps popped into existence out of nowhere, and everyone near them suddenly faded out. They reappeared further ahead of them, with the still Akumatized Miracle queen grinning wickedly. King monkey, Viperion and a scarlet Rena Rouge stood in front of her.

"Split the skies, Rena _Rage!" _Chloe ordered triumphantly.

An extremely unfamiliar and haunting tune issued from her flute. Its tip glowed a blinding crimson.

Ladybug barely had time to react. "Cat Noir! Take cov—"

Her words were cut off abruptly as she gasped for air, her lungs suddenly empty. Her ears popped as the air pressure dropped alarmingly, and her vision started to darken around the edges. She collapsed on all fours as sparks of static electricity permeated the air around her.

She heard a desperate cry "SHELTER!" near her, and an almost simultaneous "_HELLBOLT_!" There was a moment of pause before the world split in two.

Ladybug screamed as her eyes and ears lost all senses. A blinding flash and a truly excruciating thunderclap like eruption engulfed them. It roiled in place for a fraction before flaring outwards in a devastating shockwave.

Contained in the shield Rena Rage had made, Chloe stared in awe.

* * *

_Pain..._

_It's really hard to move..._

_Is it morning already? It can't be. Just five more minutes..._

_Ouch! What's that ringing? Tikki... Snooze the alarm for me... I just need to rest._

"Ladybug."

_For a little while..._

_"Ladybug."_

_A little longer... Just..._

_"LADYBUG!"_

"Gah!" Ladybug shot up, ears ringing like cathedral bells, her whole body aching and throbbing. She opened her eyes, and winced and shut them again.

"Ladybug? Are you okay? Talk to me!"

She tried to pick up the voice she was hearing, but the furious ringing and pounding in her eardrums didn't help the matter.

"C-Cat..? Is that y-you?"

The ringing started to decrease infinitesimally.

"...'s me, Fu! _Please answer me, child!"_

"Master Fu?" She opened her eyes in surprise and regretted it immediately. "OW! Light hurts."

"Easy Ladybug... Are you hurt in any other way? Are you in pain?" The frantic concern in his voice was extremely visible.

She pulled herself to a sitting position and covered her face with her hands.

"I'm... Okay, Master. Just a little worse for wear." She tried opening her eyes again, and still winced sharply. Her vision swam, but she managed to stay upright. "What happened?"

She heard Fu letting a sigh. "You were tricked. I'm sorry I couldn't help you any earlier."

She squeezed her eyes shut and tried opening them again. Despite the watering, she was able to open them this time. The first thing she noticed was Master Fu's _very_ concerned face, and that they were encased in his shelter. Beyond it was a hazy smog. She squinted, trying to see in more detail.

The smog created somewhat, and she gasped as she looked at the landscape, now closely resembling a war zone. The water in the giant pool in the middle was completely vaporized, as all the greenery in sight. The ground was cracked, uneven, and charred. To her right, the ground where the bolt had connected was reduced to a deep crater. The hard concrete and at least eleven feet worth of dirt and soil were now nothing more than free-floating molecules.

_What on earth made that happen?_

Several figures materialized through the gray dust ominously. Ladybug inhaled sharply. Hawkmoth was with them, in the flesh! But by his yellowed iris, she knew things didn't go as planned for him.

"Well well well... The Ladybug has a bit of dumb luck left." Chloe sneered insolently. "I was expecting to dig you out of a pile of rubble, but guess that tin can force field saved me the effort. Looks like Kim couldn't do his job either since you showed up and he didn't." She pointed at the Guardian.

Master Fu held up the monkey miraculous, now in camouflage mode.

"The speed and agility of the young are impressive, but as a pinch of salt to the soup, the experience is what completes it."

Chloe raised an eyebrow.

"Eh... Not a fan of soup?"

"I'm more of a sushi girl."

"Oh."

Ladybug was crouching behind Master Fu, trying to locate Cat Noir with her communicator. She still could faintly hear his last cry for her in her head. If it rattled her this much while having a shelter, god knows how hard it must've hit Cat Noir.

"I'm sorry Cat... I don't know what happened, but I let my guard down. _Again_. I'm so sorry." She whispered.

A cat paw icon popped up in her map, way behind her, and closer to the road. It was motionless, so he was probably unconscious. Ladybug bit her lip.

_I need to help him._

Chloe started to speak.

"Let's not talk in circles, Ladybug. You used to think that _you _were the Master, deciding when we got our miraculous when we were able to be heroes, huh? Well, now _I _am the Master!"

"Only a Master of evil, Chloe." Ladybug snapped.

"That's _Miracle queen_ for _you_, Ladybrat!"

She motioned the figures behind her to join her.

Wearing a wicked smile, she asked her. "So what do you think of my little magic trick? I only needed some illusions and Viperion's second chance to make you idiots lose. "

Ladybug threw a glance at Rena, whose outfit was colored dark crimson with black accents.

"What did you do to her?"

Master Fu awakened his voice. "She's been Akumatized... Looks like Hawkmoth finally figured out how to maintain two Akumas at once. And he has given her the power not only to warp reality but _affect_ it as well!"

_"I_ figured out how to do it, grandpa! And Hawkmoth works for _me_ now. You will be pleased to know that there will be no super-villains under the regime of Miracle queen!"

"In fact, I have my mindset on doing some diplomatic... Hmm, what's the word...? Ah, _Endeavors_! For that, I need your and that alley cats' miraculous."

"The wish doesn't work that way. The universe must maintain balance. Whatever you wish, there will be a reaction that follows." Master Fu tried to get his point across.

"Oh yeah? Were you there when the wish was cast? How can _you_ know anything about it?" Chloe sneered at him.

"The same way one would know that the earth is a sphere."

"Oh, why am I wasting time with you morons? I'm giving you one chance to surrender your miraculous." She grinned. "Or my fox will huff, and she will puff, and she will blow your little shield away."

"Take a hike, Chloe!"

"You wouldn't be so stubborn after I've done walking all over you Ladybug!"

She turned to Rena Rage.

"Hey, fox! Do your thing. But let's start it slow. I don't want you to knock the Eiffel tower over."

Rena Rage stepped forward. "Yes, my queen." She blew a short melody and created a giant gorilla in front of her. The notes she played were slightly different.

The gorilla stepped forward, raised his extremely oversized fists above his head, and brought it down on top of their shelter, pounding it with tons of sheer strength. Despite the shelter, the pressure wave pummeled them down relentlessly.

"What the—" Ladybug gasped.

"—heck is that? That's Rena Rage for you. When Hawkmoth used his scarlet moths to Akumatize her on heroes day, he stupidly ignored to simply phrase what kind of power boost he wanted to give her. Unlike him, I used my brain. I gave her the power to create tangible illusions. Want a Rhino?"

A rampaging Rhino slammed to the side of their shelter, making Master Fu stumble.

"Maybe something more modern?"

They heard a rumble of a mechanical monstrosity to their left, and Master Fu swiftly turned to face it, putting more strength into his shelter. With a resounding "BOOM!" a shell left the main gun of the tank and exploded point blank, sending both of them tumbling end over end.

Chloe cackled, far too pleased with herself. "I made her unstoppable. She can literally make anything I command her. She's like that character green err... Lamppost, Greenshade..?"

"Green Lantern." Pegasus corrected her.

"Why thank you, professor nerd." Chloe mumbled. "Oh no! These explosions got dust all over me! You! Snake eyes! Make me look presentable."

Ladybug and Master Fu got back up shakily. Ladybug noticed that the shelter field was almost completely covered with cracks.

"Master, we need to fall back! I need to find Cat Noir. This is not something we can handle right now." She helped him up. "She staged the whole fight, just like I did to defeat Kwamibuster. But by Akumatizing Rena Rouge, she didn't leave any possibility for me to find out that we were fighting an illusion the whole time. As soon as I dissolved my water bubble, Chloe sent her wasps in. Cat Noir already could be under her influence. If it wasn't for you Master, my incompetence would've ended everything. I'm so lame!"

"It was not your fault. I always thought Hawkmoth was one to be feared. But this girl takes the entire cake." He struggled to stay upright. "The shelter would not hold for long, I'm afraid."

Ladybug opened her mouth to say something, but couldn't find any words. She covered her face and collapsed to a sitting position.

"This is all my fault!" She cried. "All of this is because I couldn't do what I'm supposed to do! To protect people. I jeopardized your identity, lost the miracle box and walked right into their trap. Cat Noir could be _really _hurt, but I can't find a way to help him. And if I hadn't forgotten to de-transform myself to see you..."

Master Fu knelt near her.

"..Hawkmoth wouldn't have taken you hostage, he wouldn't have taken the miracle box! I'm the worst Ladybug that has _ever existed!"_

_I dearly wish Cat Noir was here. I'm not the best to offer emotional advice. But I must help her..._

"Ladybug, you're the best miraculous holder I've ever met! You've made mistakes but who hasn't? What matters is to _fix _them. You always, _always _miraculously knew how to fix everything."

"But what should I do Master? Everything is falling apart! What should I _do?_"

_Hmm... What indeed..?_

Finally succumbing to her distress, Ladybug curled on herself and started to cry. He held her tenderly. In many ways, he treated her as if she was his own great-granddaughter. He understood the unfair amount of tension she was currently subjected to.

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

_Breathing exercises... Breathe in... Breathe out..._

_Restore your energies... Wang Fu. Your heart is troubled. So stop stirring it..._

_Let it settle..._

With a relaxed exhale, and a rapidly relaxing mind, he opened his eyes. He was sensing it. The intuition that guided him, led him to understand things that were hidden for the naked eye, was surrounding him. He let his eyes close again.

He wasn't in Paris. He wasn't fighting a super-villain.

He wasn't even a guardian.

He was just a boy...

_Breathe... Calm your senses... The edge of the storm pulsates with raw, destructive energies. It can shred any object that dares to lie in its path. Stand anywhere in it, and you will see everything falling apart. You will see strong set trees break like twigs, and the heavens themselves would be darkened, with torrents of rain drowning the earth. Chaos is what comes to one's mind... But the true power, the true force... It is the calm of the storm, young Fu. The eye itself. Stand there, and you will see the truth, undisturbed by everything that's happening at the moment. You may have no control over your storm, young apprentice, but what you do have, is a choice. You decide where to stand in it. Choose it wisely, the answers will be revealed within you._

Smiling at the memory of his younger days, Master Fu felt the fatigue and frustration drain from him. His mind, freed of its unnecessary burdens, focused on the present.

_Let's see what you want to tell me._

Letting his instincts take over, Master Fu exhaled and reopened his eyes. The familiar landscape materialized in front of him, but he was starting to see it in a new eye. He saw Miracle queen walk towards them with her entourage, holding the miracle box with one arm.

_My mentee needs me, I need to find an answer to our predicament._

As if awaiting him to say it, a green highlight, dotted with black hexagons, highlighted the miracle box. Looking over his shoulder at a rooftop, he spotted a silhouette of someone lurking in the shadows, observing them almost imperceptibly, who was also immediately highlighted. Focusing his vision again at his front, he saw Ladybug's petite form being highlighted. And the highlight remained lit.

_Is it all? Have I uncovered the path?_

But he still felt that one piece was missing from his puzzle. He rescanned his surroundings but he didn't find any additional information.

_Come on... I don't have all day... Think!_

_The answers will be revealed within you..._

_Within YOU..._

He looked down on himself, and the green highlight flicked from Ladybug to him, completing his mental puzzle, leaving him with the answer.

"_Oh... It's all coming together now.._.." He chuckled. "I suppose it was going to happen one of these days anyway..."

Suddenly, everything was crystal clear to him. He was given a part to play, and he was determined to succeed.

_But I hoped it wouldn't be this soon... But every problem has its own solution. This is the solution for ours._

He felt Ladybug started to move and saw her gaze was fixated on Miracle queen.

"Master, they're coming! There's no time to thinks this through. LUCKY CH—"

"Easy now Marinette..." He shushed her when she tried to protest. "Don't worry, they can't hear me. Listen, my dear. You're still very young. And you've barely spent a year wielding the miraculous. But I have never seen any miraculous holder quite like you, or like A—" He sighed. It was not his secret to tell anyway. "—Or like Cat Noir. Both of you are very unique. I chose you for your spirit, Marinette. You were always Ladybug. With or without having a miraculous, you would've been a force for good."

Sparing a glance at the approaching miraculous holders, he continued. "You made hard choices and fulfilled your responsibilities remarkably. I couldn't have been more proud of calling myself the Guardian who anointed you."

"Master, I...—"

He continued quickly. "You must always, _always _have faith in you. Everyone makes mistakes Marinette, and those who pick themselves up and move forward will move the world forward with them."

He watched as she tried to process all of what he said.

"Listen carefully, Ladybug. You must obtain the miracle box. You will need it. Be smart, and be confident. You are the manifestation of luck, so embrace it."

"Master, I don't get it—"

"You worry yourself over the mistakes you have already made, but you _must_ stop that."

Ladybug just stared at him. Fu stood up to his full height and helped Ladybug up, who stood taller.

"Let go of your fear, Ladybug. Fear is the apprehension at the unknown. And you _know_ you are going to win."

She stood there, letting his words sink in. He watched as her face went from hopeless, to troubled, to determined, and finally to a carefully measured confidence.

"You... You really think so Master?"

"Yes. I do."

_In fact, I KNOW so._

"Then we'll need all the power-ups we have. We have Xuppu and Longg with us. Do you have any snacks with you by any chance Master? I'm all out of cookies."

"I'm afraid I don't have anything except for this, Ladybug." He said, offering her what appeared to be a key. "But try to find some carrots. You may need it."

Ladybug looked perplexed. "Carrots?"

"Yes. Good for making oneself look _younger_." He looked at her and gave a tiny wink.

The look of pure bewilderment on her face made Fu chuckle.

_Ah... I'm going to miss this_

_I already do..._

Chloe walked up to them and knocked theatrically on the shield dome. "Hello! Bonding time's over. Now it's time for offerings. Will you kindly place your miraculous in my custody, please? I'd hate to find out how many STS missi—"

"SSM." Pegasus corrected her automatically. "Surface to surface missiles."

Chloe pinched the bridge of her nose. "—how many _SSM _missiles that shelter can hold out against."

Master Fu gave an annoyed look at Chloe, brought his fist up and clenched it, instantly making the shelter field opaque.

"Hey! I'm not done making threats!"

"Though you shouldn't repeat the word missile after saying it in the acronym SSM, my queen. It's grammatically inco—"

"NO ONE ASKED FOR YOUR DIDDLY DARN OPINION MR. KNOW-IT-ALL!"

Inside the shelter, Master Fu gave Ladybug a reassuring smile.

"Remember what I taught you Ladybug. Be proud and confident. To defeat Miracle queen, you must acquire the miracle box." Master Fu intoned in a low voice to Ladybug. She gave a nod of acknowledgment.

He made the dome transparent again. "You were saying, miss?" He asked Chloe in a mock sweet tone, making her fume. Ladybug thought she actually saw steam emitting from her ears.

"I was going to dump some missile on your head."

"My Shelter is much more durable than you think miss. I could do this all day."

"Oh really? I guess that makes sense when you're all bark and no bite. Well, let's see how long this ancient tortoise is going to keep up."

"You mean _turtle."_

"Wah wah! Same difference."

"Heh heh heh..." Master Fu chuckled, sounding very amused with himself. Then he gave a smile to Ladybug, who was spinning her yo-yo defensively and turned to Chloe with a smirk.

"Well, the thing is, _turtles_ _bite_."

In a sudden burst of unexpected energy, Master Fu grabbed Ladybug by her hand, collapsed his shelter, leaped straight up like a shot out of a cannon. He took his shield off, and he launched it down with such force it whip-cracked the air around it.

"SHELL SHOCK!" His aged voice thundered mightily, and the shell glowed bright green before it made contact with the ground, making the point of impact cave in as if struck by a meteor. It sent a massive thundering shockwave across the ground, collapsing several nearby solid concrete pillars, and sending Chloe and the others tumbling away like ragdolls.

Ladybug stared at her Master with wide eyes and muttered "Whoa..."

They both landed near a jagged pile of rubble.

"Nice move Master! You should use it more often." Ladybug said, spinning her yo-yo rapidly. She kept an eye on where Chloe and her subordinates were trying to get up groggily, and another out for any incoming wasps. But the swarms just hovered idly, as if waiting to be given a command. "We can take them on Master. On three?"

"You will defeat them, just not right at this moment. I'm afraid I've reached my limit, dear Ladybug." She heard him saying in a weak voice behind her. Immediately alarmed, she retracted her yo-yo and rushed to his side where he was sitting. He looked _very _tired. "There was a reason why I mainly used my powers for defense as I grew older. Offensive powers can drain an old miraculous holder quite fast." Despite the statement, he gave her a toothy grin. "But it sure felt great to use it one last time."

"Oh, Master I'm so sorry. There must be something I can d—"

"Yes, there is something you can do..." He placed his hand in hers, and gazed at her with a bittersweet mix of pride and contentment.

"..._Guardian."_

* * *

**Part 5: Expecto Unexpected**

* * *

There was a flash of light, and he reverted to his civilian self.

Ladybug's eyes grew wide as she stared at the turtle miraculous placed in her hand. Wayzz floated back to Master Fu.

"Goodbye, Master..." Wayzz spoke in a shaky voice, his emotions making it hard for him to speak.

"Goodbye, old friend." Mater Fu replied, allowing Wayzz to land atop his palm.

Ladybug looked from Wayzz to Master Fu.

"Master what is this?! You can't— I can't— _you're the guardian_ Master! I'm not ready! _AND WHY ARE YOU SAYING GOODBYE?!"_

"You are ready, Ladybug. I managed to complete your training, didn't I? I told you that you would be the next guardian. Today you will."

"But why Master?"

"I am too tired Ladybug, I can no longer fight. If Miracle queen puts me under her spell, she can obtain way too much knowledge. But if I'm just a civilian who knows nothing about these matters, there will be no harm to anyone."

"I don't understand..."

"When Master Fu names you as the next guardian, he will lose all of his memories related to the miraculous." Wayzz started to explain. "It is the rule of the guardians. This is to protect the identities of the miraculous holders.

Ladybug looked at him with visible pain. "Master, _please! _There has to be some other way... I can't lose you!"

"I will _always _be with you, Ladybug. Everything I taught you will remind you of me. Experiencing loss is a part of life, but what matters is that you cherish the good things that came from it." He smiled, his eyes brimming with tears.

Ladybug hugged him tightly. "I wish we had more time Master Fu..."

He hugged her back. "Me too. But I know this _is_ the right time. Wise old men like me always know the right time."

"Oh." Despite the tears running down her cheeks, she chuckled lightly. "How come?"

"Ancient Chinese secret."

Ladybug smiled as she pulled back. "Of course."

The spent a moment in silence, both unsure what to say.

"Say goodbye to Cat Noir for me."

Ladybug sighed. "I will, Master."

"Take care of him. And of yourself too."

They heard a frustrated screech some distance beyond them. "I'm covered in dust _again!" _They sew Miracle queen climb out of the rubble furiously. "Tell me how to make the wish before I turn you into a honeycomb!" She clapped her hands. "On me my troops!"

Rena Rage held her head groggily, and having used his second chance to help her illusions in the staged battle earlier, Viperion ran out of time and simply de-transformed. Pegasus was digging himself out. Hawkmoth was absent, probably under a mountain of rubble.

"Whaaat?! Such babies! Timing out already? Find a brick or something and feed it to your Kwami you stupid snake! Ugh! So incompetent."

Master Fu turned to Ladybug gave her hand a gentle squeeze.

"You hold all the keys Ladybug, you always have. And you'll be the most magnificent of Guardians!"

He straightened himself and took a deep breath.

"I, Wang Fu, hereby relinquish the miracle box and name Ladybug as the new Guardian!"

"What the—" Chloe yelped as the miracle box suddenly lurched out of her arms and floated upwards with a sunburst of colors rushing to meet it. Several swirling colors chased the air around it, and the miracle box morphed into a ladybug themed spheroid container. The turtle miraculous in Ladybug's hands glowed brightly and a glow enveloped Master Fu. Master Fu smiled through the haze one last time.

"Thank you very much, young lady..."

The glow intensified almost blindingly, and then went out. Ladybug caught the unconscious body of the former guardian.

"What did you do to my miracle— _It's not even a box anymore! _I can't open it. Fix this now!" Chloe yelled unhappily. The wasps finally came to life and swarmed menacingly in front of Ladybug. She glanced at Chloe. Numb with grief and angry at Chloe, she wordlessly snap-threw her yo-yo at her. Gripping the string, she yanked her hand down, and it hit the ground, rebounded off and slammed into the underside of the spheroid. With a clang, it left Chloe's hand. Ladybug flicked her wrist, and the yo-yo wrapped around it and brought it to her.

"Hey give that back! Wasps! Sting he—"

She couldn't finish her command as several dozen objects clattered in front of her, one hitting square on her face. In a cacophony of hissing sounds, each immediately started to disperse thick smoke, which enveloped the whole area. The wasps broke formation and backed off.

Ladybug felt a pair of arms snatch her from behind, and lift her off the ground. She held Master Fu tightly as whoever was carrying her dragged her to higher ground. She squinted, trying to see who it was, but the ridiculous amount of smoke immediately made her eyes tear up.

She resorted to a simple inquiry instead. "Who are you?"

Instead of a reply, she was dragged in through a window into a dimly lit room and was abruptly released.

"Whoa!" Stumbling from the sudden loss of support and the weight of Master Fu, Ladybug gyrated frantically for a moment.

Her rescuer swiftly closed the window and pushed a large cupboard against it. "We should be safe here."

Ladybug stared in wide-eyed wonder as Mayura turned to face her and greeted her, slightly out of breath. "Hello, Ladybug."

"Why did you bring me here?" Ladybug questioned, resting Master Fu on the floor and unhooking her yo-yo. She held the Spheroid tightly.

"Would you rather have me leave you at Miracle queen's mercy?" She simply asked. A muffled buzzing sound was heard outside as the swarm flew past in search of them.

"Ok, but why _save _me? Akumatizing Chloe was your plan all along right?"

"Yes. Until she betrayed us."

"Hardly a surprising thing in _your_ business." Ladybug scoffed.

Mayura cast her an unreadable look. Then she glanced at the prone figure of Master Fu. "I see he made you the new guardian. Should I call you—?"

"Ladybug is fine." She cut her off. "I want you to tell me what you want from me."

Mayura straightened herself. "Very well." She walked to a small water dispenser, filled two cups and offered one to Ladybug.

Despite herself, she accepted the drink. Her throat was parched. "Thank you."

"Miracle queen has Hawkmoth, and two more active miraculous wielders under her control. The guardian disabled Money king, and Viperion's already de-transformed. Cat Noir's whereabouts remain unknown and will transform back in any minute, and Miracle queen might learn his identity."

Ladybug winced at the mention of her partner. She felt immensely guilty for not being able to save him. She stayed silent, letting Mayura continue.

"Chloe has Rena rage, and she is _very_ formidable in her Akumatized state. And if she manages to feed Viperion's Kwami, she will be impossible to defeat."

"Yes, I already know about all of this." Ladybug said, exasperated. "What are you getting at?"

Mayura clasped her hands in front of her, assuming a formal pose, which Ladybug thought to be weird. "I'm requesting a truce, Ladybug. Chloe bourgeois can't be allowed to have the power she wants. Help me to rescue Hawkmoth, and I'll help you rescue Cat Noir and defeat Miracle queen."

Ladybug sputtered at her. "Wha-What?! Help you rescue _Hawkmoth? _That's just— Do you honestly—you can't be serious!"

"I am." She replied evenly. "Neither you nor I can defeat her alone. Only if we join forces will we stand a chance, however slim it may be."

_Darn it! She does have a point. I can use more miraculous, but it's still going to be just me... But joining with her to save Hawkmoth? I'd much rather wear a full-face helmet and throw up in it. Multiple times."_

"The longer we take to decide, the better prepared our enemy will be Ladybug."

_But since there's no other way..._

"Ok, Mayura. Deal."

_And there aren't any helmets that I can see..._

"But don't try anything funny."

* * *

"Think wisely Ladybug. I may only be able to use my power once." Mayura informed, checking the room for any openings.

Ladybug started to reply but held it back as she sensed something about Mayura.

"You're sick, aren't you? You have been, for a while..." Ladybug mused.

Her aura felt... Off...

_Aura?_

_WHAT?_

Mayura whipped around as if struck. "How did you know?" she asked apprehensively.

"I... Don't know.." Ladybug replied, confused herself. "I just... Feel it?"

Mayura gave her a scrutinizing gaze. She nodded. "That must be a perk of being a guardian." She changed the subject. "Do you have a plan?"

Ladybug took a deep breath. "I've got three miraculous with me, but their Kwamis need to refuel. I put them inside the miracle box—Err... Ball? But without eating something, it might take up to an hour for them to recharge. I wonder what they have for snacks... Maybe there's a kitchen here."

Excluding the exit, Mayura found one door that led to a room full of large cardboard boxes, some furniture and cleaning material. The other door led to a walk-in refrigerator.

"I hope your Kwamis are vegetarians. There's only beans, cabbages and carrots here."

"Carrot will do us no good. Fluff's back in—OHMYGOSH!"

Mayura rushed back in, wielding her hand fan at ready. "What happened?"

"I GOT IT! Master Fu said something about carrots, that it was good for making someone look younger. He meant about Fluff!"

Spotting the look Mayura was giving her, she elaborated. "She's the Kwami of the rabbit miraculous."

Mayura's nonexistent eyebrows shot up in surprise. "You plan to use time travel. It could be very risky."

But Ladybug was already busy, her mind running a mile a second. "We can use it to stop her." She got up and scurried to all four corners of the room, checking seemingly everything that caught her sight.

She ran back to Mayura, and like the excited schoolgirl she was, exclaimed, "I found a way to get past the wasps and get closer to Chloe. We need to make a surprise attack because we can't fight with Rena rage around. We'll have eyes in the sky giving us updates." Wayzz floated up from behind her, and threw Mayura a scathing look, but remained silent otherwise.

"Once we pounce on her, I'll grab the miracle box, and use my lucky-not right now-charm to escape before the wasps or Rena can get the drop on us... _What?_ It triggers my power if I said it normally."

"You haven't summoned the lucky charm yet. I thought you couldn't predict what you get." Mayura pointed out.

"I think Mr. Bug had the right idea. I _know _I'll get what I think I'll get."

"Whatever you say." Mayura shrugged. "What kind of Sentimonster do you need?"

"My plan is so convoluted and surreal it's eating a hole in my brain."

"Enlighten me."

"For this plan to work I need a total of three lucky-not right now-charms, two ladybugs to cast them and a Sentimonster to fight Miracle queen."

"That does sound like a mouthful."

"_Tell _me about it!"

"But how can two Ladybugs exist at the same tim—Oh... This must be where the rabbit miraculous comes in? You're using it to have two of you?"

"Yes. And I need a Sentimonster. A special one. I think you're already familiar with her."

"Her?"

"I need _Ladybug."_

* * *

**Part 6: Down the rabbit's burrow**

* * *

"So... You will tell me _anything _I ask you?"

"Yes, my queen."

"You won't hide anything?"

"I won't."

"Good..." Miracle queen drawled. "Then tell me this..."

"Who is ladybug?"

"I don't know."

"You _DARE _lie to me?!"

"I didn't. She never told me about her identity."

"UGH! THIS CAT IS UTTERLY USELESS! To think I wasted my efforts digging your sorry behind out!" Her spotless outfit and the other dust-covered miraculous holders further confirmed it.

"What kind of partner would hide her own identity like that? Ugh! If I knew who's behind that mask I'd– I'D—!" She emphasized her intentions by strangling the air and kicking one of the empty tear gas cylinders away. But she abruptly stopped as she heard his miraculous beep. She turned around with an extremely pleased smirk.

"But you wouldn't mind if I find out who _you_ are, riiiight?"

* * *

"Are you sure about that?" Mayura asked, feeling very hesitant. Ladybug was her most powerful Amok. The short-lived Sentimonster was truly a unique one.

Ladybug nodded. "Yes. But I will keep the Amokatized object."

Mayura frowned, clearly not comfortable with that. The allegiance of the Sentimonster lied with whoever possessed the Amok. The last time she lost it, it joined forces against her.

But just like then, all she would need is to take its Amok away to snuff it out.

Satisfied the odds weren't against her, she conceded. "Agreed."

Feeling very weird that she was willingly witnessing an Amokatization firsthand, Ladybug produced the key Master Fu gave her from her Yo-yo. "Use this."

Mayura raised her fan and plucked a feather, and closed her fist around it, charging it with energy. She released it on to the key.

"Give body to the Ladybug Sentimonster again!"

Between them, the familiar purple turbulence took place, and through it, a perfect clone of Ladybug emerged.

The original one gasped. "She looks exactly like me! Down to the smallest details..." She whispered.

_It's like looking in a mirror. Kinda creepy..._

"Sentimonster, you will now obey Ladybug."

She looked at Mayura, and then back at Ladybug. She then gave them a meek smile. "It's nice to see you again, Ladybug."

"You... You remember me?" Ladybug asked incredulously. Mayura seemed taken aback as well.

The Sentimonster looked at herself. "I... I think so?"

Ladybug broke into a wide grin. "Then welcome back! Uh... Calling you Ladybug is confusing... How about..." She remembered the nickname Cat Noir gave her. "Buguette?"

"If you say so Ladybug."

"Great! So now here's the plan. Oh! Come here Buguette, I'll bring you up to speed."

They gathered around and talked, quickly going over how they should proceed.

Mayura stood up abruptly. "That seems highly improbable and unlikely to succeed. Just because we put boxes over us doesn't make us invisible. Who do you think you are, an Ostrich?"

Ladybug shrugged. "Worked like a charm for me and Cat Noir last time. And they weren't even boxes."

Mayura sighed. "I don't get paid enough for this..." She muttered under her breath as she accepted the oversized box and the minuscule pair of scissors handed to her.

Ladybug giggled as she watched Buguette scamper around like a blind boxy turtle on steroids, bump into a table and then smack sideways into a grumpy Mayura, who nearly toppled over. Buguette's hysterical laughter was only slightly muffled because of the box.

"This is so much fun!" She squealed.

"Wait, I need to cut eye holes in that!" Ladybug chased her, barely holding her own laughter in.

"Catch me if you can!"

Mayura pulled up a chair and sat down, stabbing her own box with an annoyed huff. "I'm surrounded by idiots..."

She cut one eyehole and proceed to cut another on a different side. Something slammed against her chair again.

"WOULD YOU BEHAVE YOURSELF SENTIMONSTER?!" She snapped, shooting daggers with her eyes.

"It wasn't me! I'm over here!" The reply came from Buguette.

"Ehehe, sorry. Guess I should make my peephole wider." Ladybug sheepishly conceded.

Ladybug took a deep inhale. "Ok, here goes nothing."

She touched the spheroid container, but nothing happened.

"Uh... Open sesame?"

Still nothing.

"Weird..." She lifted her hand off of it, and it suddenly glowed. With a flash, the previously black-only spots emerged with symbols representing each miraculous it stored. The top spot held the compartment for her own miraculous. Immediately below it was where the black cat miraculous would be stored. To its right, was where the miraculous she wanted.

She gently touched the rabbit symbol, and it opened up. With a bluish flash, fluff came out of it.

"Weee!" She exclaimed. She stopped when she saw Ladybug instead of Master Fu. "Oh... So it's true... You _are _the new guardian. But what's _she_ doing here?" She pointed at Mayura. Then she saw two Ladybugs staring at her. "Ok, now I'm _very_ confused."

Ladybug wondered where to start. "Mayura is... With us." She lowered her voice. "For now at least." She gestured to her left. "That cute girl over there is Buguette. She's a... She was brought to life by Mayura."

Buguette waved bashfully. "Hi, fluff."

Ladybug marveled at how much she acted like a shy Marinette. It reminded her of herself when she just started being Ladybug. So unsure and timid...

Shaking her head to clear her morbid thoughts, she resumed. "An Akuma—"

"Miracle queen, yes. Longg and Xuppu explained to us. We shouldn't waste time. But Ladybug," She floated closer. "But you know that _Bunnyx _is supposed to wear my miraculous, right? If you go back in time wearing it, it could change things too much. Even if you briefly step into the burrow, you will know things that you are _not_ ready to know!"

"I know, but we don't have a ch—whoa!"

All of them lost their balance as something akin to an earthquake shook the entire neighborhood. The guttural rumble was followed by more tremors as a nearby building whose structure was already weakened, collapsed altogether. The front part of the building they were currently in ruptured as well, most of the front side collapsing down in heaps of concrete and rebar. Ladybug flipped a big table, and they took cover behind it so they wouldn't be spotted.

Miracle queen's voice, amplified several times by a megaphone she was holding, thundered. "LADYBUG! I know you can hear me. I've had enough of hide and seek. I've found your stray cat, and he's about to transform back. If you wanna save him, you better hurry up and get here! Or I'll keep flattening everything I see until you do so!"

"Well, so much for the cardboard box plan." Mayura deadpanned.

Ladybug could faintly hear the beep of Cat Noir's miraculous. Praying she wouldn't be spotted, she whispered, "Lucky charm!" A disk attached to a pair of straps dropped to her lap.

"Look on the bright side, now we don't have to waste time looking for Miracle queen." She quipped.

Mayura, who was watching Chloe with just her nose above the table, suddenly hissed. "Ladybug! Cat Noir is going to transform back!"

"No time to lose!" Ladybug quickly put the rabbit miraculous around her waist. It glowed and went into camouflage mode.

"Fluff, CLOCKWISE!"

She was covered in an azure glow, and white, black and baby blue accents appeared on her suit. Her eye color changed to a neon blue.

Not wasting time to admire her appearance, she took her umbrella and prepared to cast her special ability, but at that exact moment, she heard Cat Noir's transformation run out and heard him de-transform.

A dead silence ensued.

Then came Chloe's incredulous exclamation.

_"ADRIEN?!"_

All blood was drained from Ladybug's face. She stood up, and everything else that was on her mind was gone. She didn't even hear Mayura whispering "It can't be you!" The only thing her mind registered was Adrien standing motionless next to Cat Noir's Kwami, Plagg.

That means...

Ladybug clutched her head, the obvious implication being too much for her to bear. Memories flooded to head, as her brain realized the two most important people in her life were actually the same.

Eyes wide as saucers, she tore her gaze from Adrien and to Fluff.

The tiny Kwami's whole face was a mask of distraught. She hysterically shook her head.

"This was not how it should've happened!" She whispered and darted towards Ladybug. "You can't go back! If you keep these memories, so many things will change for the worst of the _worst_!"

Ladybug bit her shaking lip. She knew Fluff was right. Her mind was already falling apart, and she was losing control of her emotions. She made a decision while she could.

"Buguette! Listen to me! I can't go back now, I know things I shouldn't! I need you to take my place instead."

Buguette looked astonished. "What?! I... I don't know what to do!"

Attempting to smile, she leaned towards Buguette.

"Look, I'm going to open a portal to a moment in the past. This lucky charm is a wasp deterrent. Give this to the past me. When you get there, cast your Senti Charm. My past self will cast her own lucky charm as well. Using those three, you will be able to win. Good luck! But then again, you make your own luck right?"

She just gawked.

Ladybug handed Buguette her Lucky charm. "Don't tell me, or _anyone _else about his identity." She leveled her gaze at her. "I'm counting on you to complete this mission, Buguette. Can I trust you?"

With a determined look, Buguette clutched the disk firmly. "You can count on me, Ladybug. I won't let you down."

Ladybug gave her a warm smile. "Welcome to red, Buguette. We're going to make a great team."

Buguette gave her a heartfelt smile.

* * *

"..Whatever you say." Mayura shrugged. "What kind of Sentimonster do you need?"

"My plan is so convoluted and surreal it's eating a hole in my brain." Ladybug started pacing back and forth.

"Enlighten me."

"For this plan to work I need a total of three lucky-not right now-charms, two ladybugs to cast them and a Sentimonster to fight Miracle queen."

"That does sound like a mouthful."

"Yeah, it is... Hello everyone!" A voice took them both by surprise.

"EEEEEK!" Ladybug sprung away as Mayura whipped her fan out. Upon seeing the owner of the voice, Mayura gasped in surprise.

"Oh my! _Who are you?"_

Ladybug got her composure back and looked at the newcomer. "You're me from the future, right?"

"No, Ladybug. I'm Buguette. I'm a Sentimonster created to help you."

Mayura's head whipped from Ladybug to Buguette. "Who and a what now?"

* * *

"..So we don't have much time Ladybug. We need to attack before Chloe does." Buguette concluded her explanation and handed Ladybug the future Lucky Charm. Ladybug cast her own and received a plunger.

Buguette looked at Ladybug. "Should I cast my Senti Charm?"

Ladybug nodded. "Be my guest."

Buguette flicked her yo-yo upwards. "SENTI CHARM!"

A pink glow engulfed them, and a rather big gun appeared above her head. She grunted as she caught it. "A sticky gun?"

"Wondering about what are you supposed to do with it?" Ladybug grinned.

Buguette tilted her head sideways like a confused bird. "Why would I? It's a sticky gun. It's supposed to stick stuff together, right?"

"Oh... Yeah right." Ladybug felt like a fresh idiot. "Usually it's something harder to figure out."

"So are we ready to defeat Chloe Bourgeois?" Mayura questioned.

"Yes! We are." Ladybug replied confidently. She walked to the window and pushed it slightly open. Holding her yo-yo at an angle, she watched Chloe and her ragtag team march closer. "And I have quite the entrance planned."

* * *

**Prologue Final Part: The second wind**

* * *

This is where Cat Noir's communicator showed that brat's location." Chloe observed. "But she could be in any of those buildings... Oh well, guess I'll just _un-build_ them to find out." She chuckled.

"Rena Rage, One plus-sized ground pound please."

"Of course my queen!" She lifted her fists up, and the air in front of her shimmered, and two giant balled fists materialized. She slammed them down with a mighty boom, sending a shockwave that started to collapse multiple buildings. An enormous dust cloud screened the whole area.

Coughing from the dust that got in her mouth, Chloe muttered about Rena being a mixed blessing and put the megaphone she 'borrowed' from Sabrina's dad to her mouth.

But she only managed to let out an amplified "WHAA?!" as three figures burst through the smoke. She gaped further as she saw that two of them were the same.

Rena Rage was still recovering from the exertion and was unprepared when she saw a globule of stickiness race at her. It splattered across her body. She stumbled and fell as more followed, and soon she was glued in place, with only her head and one arm sticking out.

Chloe Blanched at the loss of her strongest follower. She barked at Pegasus and Hawkmoth. "Don't just stand there! Go _do _something!" They took off running towards Mayura.

Remembering that she had her wasps, Chloe sent them en-masse towards her enemies. But as soon as they got closer than fifty or feet from one of the Ladybugs, they jerked backward, as if electrocuted. No amount of orders made them go past the invisible wall.

Pegasus rushed Mayura and yelled "VOYAGE!" He threw the portal in front of her, but she easily flipped herself over it. Landing deftly, she threw her fan at Hawkmoth, who had his cane raised above his head and could not deflect it in time. It connected with his face and sent him tumbling. Mayura caught his cane midair, and whacked Pegasus across his head, sending him crashing into a parked car.

That left Chloe alone to deal with Ladybug.

She flinched as Ladybug landed near her, her yo-yo spinning gracefully.

"Looks like the bully lost her gang... Maybe you took a wrong turn?" She quipped.

Chloe smirked. "This is _my_ turf Ladybug. You're the one who took a wrong turn."

Ladybug heard light footsteps of someone running towards her from behind. She smiled.

_And that's the last one._

Ladybug rolled aside, evading Cat Noir's grapple. He took his baton and extended it, and swiped it at her. She ducked to her left and felt the gust of wind as it whipped by her.

Thinking her nemesis was distracted, Chloe took her spinning top and called for her venom. She lunged, hoping to immobilize her in one hit.

But instead of getting stung in the back as she expected, Ladybug grabbed Cat Noir and shoved him aside, spun around with something extending from her hand. Chloe shrieked "EWWW!" as she found her spinning top embedded inside a plunger and let go of it instinctively. She stumbled and landed on her butt.

Ladybug's triumphant mood shifted to panic mode as she heard telltale beeping from Cat Noir's ring. Looking around she spotted a car with tinted windows, found it to be unlocked, and shoved him in it and slammed the door shut. Half a second later he de-transformed.

"Whew! That was close!" She wiped her brow. "But how am I going to free the Akuma?" She wondered. Cat Noir had already summoned his cataclysm, and miraculous were nearly indestructible.

"You can try sitting on it." A cocky voice suggested from her right. After a hearty shriek, she recognized Bunnyx's smirking face. "It's her _weapon_, minibug. _Not_ her miraculous. So you don't need Cat Noir to break it. Are you that distracted?"

"Oh yeah, Bunnyx! I'm sorry. I was a little... Anyway, that's a relief... Cat Noir is out so I'm all out of cataclysms."

"You _nearly_ caused one though."

"What?!"

"Well, actually it was, _will be _your future self, but the time flow is changed, so it actually won't be you at all."

_"Huh?_ I don't follow you Bunnyx."

Bunnyx took the spinning top from her. "There were so many things that could've gone wrong when you involved the rabbit miraculous in your plan, minibug. But you got _really _lucky. Like winning-the-lottery-on the-same-day-three-times-in-a-row lucky."

"Uh-huh..." Ladybug was still not following her.

Bunnyx leaned closer. "It was a very smart move you did, will do... Ugh! I'm just going to stick to using the past tense! You sent Buguette back instead of coming yourself. _That_ avoided a _lot _of temporal catastrophes. But it still changed this timeline. Many things were altered drastically." She explained while observing Buguette, who was apparently trying to engage in a conversation with her captive. So far it looked like it was very much one-sided. "But of course it won't be permanent since I can take her back to her timeline."

Ladybug followed Bunnyx's gaze. She spoke hesitantly. "What if... What if she stayed?"

Bunnyx looked back at Ladybug with her eyebrows raised. "Come again minibug?"

Still not meeting Bunnyx's gaze, Ladybug sheepishly continued. "Isn't it wrong to just... _Dismiss_ her?"

Bunnyx waited for her to elaborate.

"When Mayura first made her around the time I was expelled from school, I gave her the Amok from Mayura. I let her make a choice instead of making her follow my orders. She _decided_ to help me! I was so surprised." She spoke, watching Buguette giggle in an attempt to pry Rena's flute from her glued hand. "Master Fu told me that all Sentimonsters, to a degree, were sentient. But when I told him about Buguette, he looked shaken. Like, _really _shaken. He said that she was more like what the guardians used to call as a 'Sentiseraph'. Sentimonsters are created by focusing energy on negative emotions. He said that only when the creator has a_ very _strong positive emotion that a Sentiseraph is created, only when the core emotion is benevolent in nature."

She gestured towards Buguette. "He said that while Sentimonsters were more like beasts of burden, simple-minded, meant mostly to be used in battle or stuff, Sentiseraphs, were nothing short of actual living beings!"

She finally raised her head to meet Bunnyx's eyes. "So shouldn't she be treated like one?"

Bunnyx's studied her face. Ladybug tried not to shy away. She knew she was asking for a lot of complications, but she couldn't just let her be treated like... like a thing!

"But it _could_ turn out to be a mistake... It... It could be a bad call to make." Her resolve wavered slightly. "You can tell me now if it would. I can understand."

Bunnyx kept staring at Ladybug.

Ladybug fidgeted in place.

_So you want her to stay, huh?_

Bunnyx smiled while shaking her head.

_Leave it to Marinette to have a heart as big as a barn._

Sparing one more look at Buguette, She let out a sigh. "Look after her minibug. She'll need you." Bunnyx walked towards her portal. She put one foot in and then stopped. She looked at Ladybug and smiled. "You know I already know your future, right?"

"Yeah... So?"

She winked. "Oh, no reason."

With that, she disappeared through her portal, which winked out swiftly.

Ladybug let loose a sigh of her own.

_One small victory._

Remembering that she still hadn't dealt with the Akuma, Ladybug slammed the spinning top, freed it and purified it.

Chloe's body was engulfed in purple turbulence, and her form returned to queen bee. She just sat with her legs pulled up and her chin resting on her knees. Ladybug walked towards her with mixed feelings.

"Chloe, I—"

"Just _take _it!" She yanked the bee miraculous and threw it at her. "And leave me alone. I'm not going to ask that nicely again."

Shaking her head, Ladybug picked the miraculous and placed it in her yo-yo. She walked towards Buguette, who handed her Rena Rage's flute.

"I think the Akuma should be in that." She explained. Ladybug accepted it with a smile, broke it and watched the Akuma flutter away. She purified it and let it go.

"Bye-bye little butterfly." She threw the plunger upwards. "MIRACULOUS LADYBUG!"

She watched as the spell worked its magic, and started to repair everything.

"So my duty is done, right? Did... Did I do good?" Buguette asked hesitantly, seemingly unsure about herself. Ladybug placed her hand on her shoulder.

"You were _amazing! _I couldn't have done this without you, Buguette."

She smiled widely at that. "Thank you Ladybug." She took a step back, and took a long look around her, taking in everything her eyes could see. She closed her eyes and sighed. "This was... unbelievable. But I think I'm ready, Ladybug."

"Ready for what?"

"The battle is over. So aren't I supposed to be—?"

"You're _staying_ Buguette." Ladybug said, pulling her into a hug. "It broke my heart when Mayura just snuffed you out mercilessly, just for making a _choice _do the right thing! You didn't deserve it. So I made a choice too." She pulled back and gave her a bright smile. "I guess this is your second wind."

Buguette felt her jaw drop.

Some distance away, a _very_ disgruntled Hawkmoth and a tired Mayura watched the scene.

"Shouldn't you recall that Sentimonster, Mayura? Its alliance is with our enemy. I think we had enough disasters done today without that thing running around."

Mayura stood up. "Yes, Hawkmoth. You're right. I'll take its Amok away."

She raised her hand outwards, and mentally reached for it.

And...

_Nothing._

"WHAT?!" Hawkmoth thundered.

"Nothing! There is no Amok I can sense of. I don't understand..." Feeling suddenly dizzy, she fainted. Hawkmoth caught her quickly. He sighed.

"It's okay, Mayura. All in a good time." He leaped away with her.

Ladybug suddenly gave a shriek, startling Buguette. "What's wrong Ladybug?"

"MAYURA! I TOTALLY FORGOT ABOUT HER!"

* * *

_"Experiencing loss is a part of life ...But good things come too! Expect the unexpected, and embrace it."_

~ The end ~

* * *

**A/N incoming...**

**Wow. Just, Wow.**

**Sorry for the informal start, but that's all I'm feeling right now. This is my first EVER literature work, and I feel like I just landed on Mars or something. I made this story for the Miraculous Ladybug Holiday Fanfiction Exchange, and I'm really happy to be able to finish this. I know there's a lack of the usual fluff, apart from fluff herself, but that's because this was more of a prologue story, and how successfully do you think a 19-year-old single boy could create believable romance anyway? But I promise I'll do my best in the future. Please, leave a comment, Review, and tell me what needs to be improved. I left several subtle references to Avengers, Star Wars and Halo, so tell me if you find them. English is not my first language, and believe it or not every word I typed in was learned from _scratch_ by reading books, watching movies without subtitles and not skipping video game cut scenes. So if you find any mistakes, grammar or literature-wise, please let me know. I welcome criticism, constructive or otherwise. And Also, I hope to create a full multi-chaptered storyline, and this will be the first chapter. Feel free to DM me about anything, I will definitely read and reply to each one if you do so. Or spam my E-mail - - Miraculous is something I love with all of my heart, and I really feel lucky to be a part of this fandom. This was created in the month of December 2019. Let's see how fast we can get to the true finish line. Have fun and stay Miraculous!**


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